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About Me

I'm a married mother of one beautiful little very active girl. I work a part-time job as a restaurant bartender/server and am currently working on my MBA. Trying to juggle everything is a challenge but it is possible.

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Along with the terrible-twos come potty training. How lucky are we to get to have to deal with both at the same time. I have to admit that I have been pretty blessed in the potty training phase. This is not to say that things don't get very frustrating at times. Anyone with kids knows how expensive diapers and pull-up can be and I am so ready to be done with them. I'm actually thinking about doing cloth diapers next time around.

We bought Kyla a potty when she was 1 1/2 years old just to get her familiar with it. Kyla decided that the potty made a better stepping stool and did not touch it for 2 months. When she finally became interested in potty training she was more interested in using the big toilet than her potty. Honestly I did not care either way...as long was as she was using on of them. It was pretty much hit or miss for a while. We always make a big deal when she goes to the potty and loves to make sure everyone knows she went.

Kyla started doing really good so we decided it was time to try....BIG GIRL PANTIES. We took her to the store so she could pick them out and of course she picked out the boy Spongebob brief. After convincing her that they would not fit; she picked out these really cute Elmo panties. She was so excited about them that we had to put them on when we got home. I sat down with her and explained that if she pee peed or boo booed on Elmo that he would be really sad. She said she didn't want Elmo to be sad. I was really excited to how things went. Less than two minutes later she starts crying "Elmo sad mommy" *sigh*...we had a #2. We get her cleaned up and tried another pair and this lasted about 10 minutes. Ugh...I was pretty much through with the whole panty trial. So back to the pull-ups we go.

I just don't get it. Kyla can have on pull-ups and not have an accident for two days but the second we put the panties on her she uses the bathroom on her self. I tried the panties again because I'm a glutton for punishment I thought she was ready.. This time she comes running up to me "Mommy Elmo mad". I asked her "don't you mean Elmo sad" and she said "no, Elmo mad cause Kyla go pee pee and boo boo on Elmo". Oh well...back to the drawing board.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

*Sigh* my nine-day vacation has come to an end and its back to work I go. I had a great vacation even though I didn't do anything spectacular. Being home for nine days made me realize how much I miss being home every day. Because I work mostly in the evenings I never get to be home to read to Kyla and tuck her in the bed at night. I miss the family dinners and trips to the park. There are so many precious moment that I miss out on because of work. For all you stay at home moms please treasure those moments that you have with your children. You are truly blessed to have the opportunity to be home with them daily. I know that it can be a headache sometimes and you may want to pull out your hair but it is so worth it.

I know that my working hard now will pay off later and everything that I do is for Kyla. It will all be worth it to me if when she gets older she appreciates the sacrifices I made for her. This vacation has taught me to take advantage of every little moment that you have. Never take the people you love and that love you for granted.

Monday, August 16, 2010

I have always considered myself blessed when it came to Kyla's sleep habits. She has slept in her own bed since day one. There have been a few nights when I was home alone that I would sneak and let her sleep with me. Also since she was six weeks old she has pretty much been on a 8pm-8am sleep schedule. This has always worked out perfect because it allowed me to get homework done and get some quiet time before bed. Who could ask for more?

Well this week all of this has changed. I don't know if it’s because I've been on vacation or a new phase she's going through (God I hope not the latter). Every night this week has been a fight to get her to go to bed. I think the earliest time was 9:30 and this wasn't her actually going to sleep just lying down temporarily. Five minutes later you can hear her crying "I no wanna go night- night" "Wanna lay down with mommy".

Oh, and to make matters better Kyla has finally realized that she can climb out of her crib. *UGH* I knew it was coming... Kyla has one of those 4-in-1 convertible cribs. I won't mention the brand because unfortunately they have had some recall (not our model...whew). Once Kyla started standing up in her crib we lowered the mattress to the very bottom setting and this bought us some much needed time. My daughter is the height of a 3-year old and she's only 2 years and 4 months.

The other night when I was putting her to bed she climbed out but I put her right back. She laid there and kicked and screamed but did not get back out. I thought the coast was clear...think again. We didn't hear anything else from her so we figured it was safe to go to bed. Around 1:04 (to be exact); Kyla is climbing in my bed with her blanket in hand. After several attempts to get her back to bed I conceded and let her sleep in our bed. When Kyla says she want to sleep with mommy, what she really means is I want to sleep ON mommy. She literally slept on my face most of the night and pushed me to the very edge of the bed. Twice I almost fell to the floor. That was a long night with not sleep.

So we decided to convert her bed to a toddler bed to prevent her from breaking her neck when climbing out the crib. The problem with this is that it makes it easier to get out of her room. Because Kyla is so tall; she can open all the doors and can reach the counter tops (recipe for disaster). A friend of mine suggested that I turn the door knob around so that it locks on the outside. Sounds like a great idea, right? Last night we introduced Kyla to her new big girl bed and she was very excited to be able to get in and out on her own. We put her to bed and of course she gets out turns on the light and begins crying and knocking on the door. After three more attempts she finally cried herself to sleep in the bed.

This is where the fun begins. She wakes up crying at 5:07AM and me being a sucker concerned mom; I go in there to check on her. She was standing at the door with her blanket crying "wanna lay down with momma". I talk to her about how she had to be a big girl and sleep in her bed. Twenty minutes later it seemed to work. I go back to bed and hear a thud. I immediately think she fell and rushed back in there. She was fine; she just threw her Elmo doll across the room. I calmed her down and went to leave her room when I realized I locked myself in. I tried to pick the lock to no avail. My husband who was dead to the world was no help. Kyla was very happy that I was stuck in the room with her. So I had to spent the night on her futon...I love my life.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

With my busy schedule at work I RARELY have the time or energy to cook; especially since I usually work nights. Honestly my husband does 99.6% of the cooking in the house. Well, since I'm on vacation I decided to give the hubby a break and cook one of his favorite meals. Its a really simple chicken dish that only takes about 15-20 minutes to cook (my kind of meal). I got this recipe from Taste of Home "Winning Recipes" Cookbook. Here is the recipe:

Season chicken with pepper. In a large skillet brown chicken in oil until juices run clear. Remove to a serving dish and keep warm.In same skillet saute mushrooms with butter. Sprinkle with flour and gradually add milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes.Remove from heat stir in 1/2 cup of parm cheese. pour over chicken sprinkle with parsley and remaining parm cheese( I don't put the extra parm on top. I let people add it to their taste).

I actually miss cooking for my family. There is a certain enjoyment you get from it. While I was in the cooking mood I decided Kyla and I were going to bake cookies and cupcakes.

Baking with Kyla went a lot better than I expected. She was such a great little helper. I think her favorite
parts were rolling up the balls for the cookies and putting icing on the cupcakes.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

I made this look using five colors:
on the inner lid I used a matte ivory
next to the ivory I used a matte lime
Then a matte green
and on the outer corner and lid a turquoise.
I lined my bottom lid with a bright purple pencil eyeliner

Please disregard my scraggly eyebrows...they are a work in progress :)

Most of these look I would never really wear out, but I just enjoy experimenting and trying new things. One of my creative outlets. I did wear this one out of the house and got several compliment on it. The best compliment came from Kyla "mommy's eyes pretty".

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I am really enjoying my vacation from work. It has given me a chance to spend more time with Kyla and reconnect with the hubby.

Tuesday, I decided to take Kyla to the Flint Riverquarium for a little field trip. This was our first time going there and we had a blast. It was well worth the price ($9 for adults and free for kids under 3-years old). We went with one of my friends that has a little girl and boy.We were there for 3 1/2 hours. They really enjoyed themselves and so did I.So if your in the Albany area and looking for a fun and educational place to go I would recommend the Flint Riverquarium. Here are some shots of our trip.

This was before the fun began

I think this fish display was my favorite. I was just amazed at the size. Why can't I ever catch a bass that big when I go fishing? One of these would look great mounted on the wall.

The discovery cave was really fun for both of us. I couldn't tell you how may times we went through here. I thought I was going to get stuck the first time...glad I've been working out.

The Aviary was cool too. I would have gotten more pictures but my camera battery went dead (things that only happen to me). There is also two great playgrounds. One for preschooler and one for bigger kids. It was a great day and by the end we were both completely worn out. *Mission Accomplished*

Bonus:

Try explaining to your two year daughter what these two turtles were doing. I told her they were playing leap frog and got stuck :)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

As I mentioned before my daughter has changed my whole world. One of the major changes is my transformation from tomboy to girly girl. I NEVER thought I would be girly. I was that girl that used to wear her brother's clothes to school (we wore the same size).

Within the last month or so I have become borderline obsessed with everything beauty related. Right now I am working on makeup. Last week I order a palette of 88 eyeshadows by Coastal Scents.

I couldn't wait to get it. It came right in time for my vacation from work. I will let you guys join me on my journey. You will get to see some of my hit or miss looks. I am good with constructive critisisms so let me have it. Also if you have any suggestions for some color combinations or looks I'm all ears. So let the fun begin:

Wow..I didn't realize how shiny my face looked with the flash. Have to remember to use powder before taking pics next time.

I felt is would be appropriate to introduce you to the main characters in the movie that is my life.

First I would like you to meet the little girl that has changed my life and the meaning of love. Kyla is a ball of energy. She amazes me everyday with the new things she learns. We are in the process of potty training and it is going very well. We got #2 down but still hit or miss with #1.

Next there is my hubby Anthony. He would do anything for his family. I feel so sorry for him...living in a house full of girls has got to be rough. He is outnumbered 3 to 1. The girls pretty much run the house but he loves his girls...and we love him!

(Yes, I am very aware that my daughter look exactly like Anthony and nothing like me )

Then there is Missy our Jack Russell Terrier. Just like my daughter she is pumped full of energy. Missy is also Kyla's scapegoat...there are many times when I hear "Missy did dat mommy".

That is my family. I don't know if it will get any bigger (Kyla has me thinking twice j/k). Right now I couldn't imagine adding another one to the bunch....but you never know.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly fit anything else into my already hectic schedule. I have decided to enter into the world of blogging.

Hey Everyone,

Let me introduce my self. My name is Chanel and I am the mother of a very active 2-year old girl named Kyla. I am married to wonderful man who loves his family dearly.

I had the wonderful privilege of staying at home with my "chunky munk" for the first six months of her life. Then reality kicked back in and I went back to work as a server. A month later I was promoted to restaurant manager at a restaurant 45 minutes away. This is when the craziness began. Working 50+ hours a week, going to graduate school, tending to my family and home. I has almost been two years and everyday is an adventure.

This brings me to the reason that I started this blog. I don't have many friends with children. I needed an outlet to vent and share my experience with other and hope to also learn from other mothers. I also want to create something that my daughter can one day look back at and laugh at her crazy mother.